The Otter
by Neleam
Summary: Five years after the war, a clinically depressed Hermione opens her front door to find a Gringotts' representative telling her she will lose her home because of missed payments. But why is this representative so invested in helping her?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, Bloomsbury Publishing, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.

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><p>The war had been over for five years now, but that didn't mean I could stop thinking about it. I had helped with the restoration of Hogwarts for the first few years. I was even offered a job as a professor there but I turned it down, said I needed some time. Ron had proposed a few years ago and we were still engaged. I continued to tell Molly that I hadn't found the right venue or the right dress or some other excuse. The truth was that I didn't have anything planned for the wedding. I felt stuck, like I was waiting for something drastic to happen so that I could deal with it.<p>

But the world was fine right now, nothing bad was happening. Yet I still spent most of my time crying. I stayed inside of my home so that I wouldn't risk losing it in public. I screamed and yelled at my friends when we were having a simple conversation. Luna had stopped coming over anymore. I would break down if we were out of some ingredient so that I couldn't cook what I wanted. I knew I was a wreck but I figured I would just get over it eventually.

If I wasn't crying I was sitting in my favorite chair and grab a book. I would just read all day, every day. I fell asleep almost every night in that chair. Ron didn't even carry me into my room when he came home from work, if he came home from work at all. He was an auror and I hadn't gotten a job. I thought of applying to be a librarian but I needed a degree from a University to be anymore than a volunteer. I didn't know how much Ron made, but I was vaguely aware that we were struggling financially. I escaped into my books and forgot about the world every day. I rarely ate more than a meal a day. I wasn't healthy but this was the only way that I knew how to cope. I would get better eventually.

I had finished doing the dishes, my one goal for the day, and sat down with a book and a cup of tea when there was a knock on the door. I sighed and approached the door. My outfit would have to do; just a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, I wasn't even wearing a bra. I looked through the peephole and saw a tall blonde man in a suit flipping through some paperwork. He looked vaguely familiar. I opened the door and he continued looking at his paperwork.

"Hello sir or madam. I am Mr. Malfoy and I am here on behalf of Gringotts. We need to discuss your missed payments on your house. May I come in?" And that's when he finally looked up. "Granger?" He looked me over with confusion in his eyes.

"Took you long enough to look up." I crossed my arms and leaned on the door frame.

"You look like shit, what the fuck happened to you? You looked better during the final battle."

"Thank you, that is exactly what I needed to hear from the fallen pureblood who is running menial errands for Gringotts."

"Wow, how original, I don't hear that at least once a day. Can we just get this over with? If I had realized this was your house I would have given this case to someone else."

"You can come in, would you like some tea?" I walked into the house and Malfoy closed the door behind me.

"Please, black if possible," He followed me to the kitchen and sat at my table. It was odd to see him without a sneer on his face. "Is Weasley here as well? It looks like all payments have been through his account." He was flipping through his paperwork.

"No, Ronald is not here, I doubt he even will be here tonight." I brought the tea over and sat across from him. He had stopped flipping through his paperwork.

"I had heard the rumors but I couldn't believe them. I thought if they were true you would have left him."

"Well, the rumors are true. He has a different companion each week. It's just how he's dealing with the war." Malfoy stared at me for a little while like he was trying to solve a puzzle. I just sat there sipping my tea.

"Well, we should work on this paperwork then. You two are seven payments behind, policy states that once you hit nine your home gets repossessed. It says here that someone contacted Weasley at the four payment mark however it does not go into details about that meeting. There are several options that we can get into. Malfoy looked up from his paperwork and watched me for a minute. I knew this was happening. I couldn't be angry or upset when I just let it happen. "Granger, what is your occupation? Weasley's is filled in with his monthly income which doesn't come close to your mortgage payment but yours is blank."

"I don't have a job." I felt his eyes trying to see through me. He was trying to figure out who the hell I was. I was too. Malfoy closed his file and pursed his lips.

"You are going to lose the house if you don't get a job." He looked concerned while telling me what I already knew. "Do you have any valuable you could sell while you look for a job?"

"No, everything was destroyed in the war." I took another sip of tea.

"Including you." I looked up at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You're clearly not who I remember." Draco stood up and gathered his file. "I will be visiting until you lose the house per my job, not that my visits are going to help." I suddenly thought that that my tea looked very interesting. Draco made his way out of the kitchen then suddenly stopped and turned. "You can't just sit and wallow in self pity like the world has ended. The world doesn't stop just because you can't handle what happened, believe me, I tried. I lost the manor because of what side of the war my family forced me to be on. Every one of my businesses folded. I barely got this job. My parents are as good as dead rotting away in Azkaban. You have a hell of a lot more to live for and you are fucking wasting it. The Hermione I knew would never let her fiancé cheat on her with everything that walks. You were always in control and aware of everything. Nothing could get to you. I watched Bellatrix torture you and even then you were the strongest person I knew." He was yelling at this point. I could only stare at him like a child being reprimanded. I hadn't realized he saw all of this or even cared.

"Why do you even care what happens to me?"

Draco looked down at his shoes and then back at me.

"We were all in difficult situations. I acted the way I did to survive. I regret every word I ever said. I have always cared." He was looking at me with such passion. He was different then I remembered. During the war it looked like he was prepared to die at any moment. Now it looked like he had something to live for. "I'll be back next week at the same time. Thank you for inviting me into your home." He turned on the spot and left.

Why did he care?

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><p><strong>AN: I am mostly done with the next few chapters but I wanted your opinion. If Hermione had a muggle job, what would it be?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, Bloomsbury Publishing, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.

I was ready the next time. I was at least wearing a bra. The house didn't look much better than last week and my face was tear-stained from what I had discovered last night. Ron had brought another woman home while I have been out and I had walked in on him. He had left for work the next morning like nothing was wrong. He had even given me a peck on the cheek on the way out the door in the morning. I doubt that he noticed my wince.

There was a knock on the door around noon and I let Draco in. I looked at the ground the whole time and he didn't say a word. I let him lead the way to the kitchen this time and kept my back to him as I prepared the tea.

"I brought a list of job opportunities this week." He pulled out a sheet and a pen. I brought the tea over and sat down across from him. He looked up. "Thank you… what the fuck happened?" I just sat there with my jaw tight.

"Granger, what is wrong?" I couldn't even look Malfoy in the eye. I didn't want to look at any man ever again.

"I caught Ron in my bed with another woman." And the tears started again. I heard the chair scrape across the floor and a pair of warm arms wrap around me.

"Shhh… he's not worth it. He's missing what's right in front of him."

I cried in his arms for a good half hour. I just couldn't stop. He had lifted me and carried me to the couch at some point. I was getting his cotton shirt soaking wet. I slowly stopped sobbing and Malfoy offered me his handkerchief.

"What are you going to do?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know, I've never caught him with a woman before. I've just had suspicions, very strong ones though."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, and I don't want to. I know I should leave but I can't make myself."

Draco sighed. "You need a job so you can afford to move out. Did you sit your NEWTs?"

"I've been meaning to." I said quietly.

"You've been meaning to for five years? Fine, I can get you scheduled for a test. Once we get your scores you'll be able to get a job, unless you want something muggle in the meantime. I can forge those papers today."

"A muggle job would be nice for a start."

"Okay, there are a few options. You'll need something full time. I have contacts in the school system so you could be a teacher, libraries are difficult and rarely hire. I know a few places looking for secretaries."

"How do you know all this?" I asked quietly while looking up at him.

"It's my job to know. I make it so that people don't lose their home or Gringotts loses the least amount of money possible. I help people find better jobs, often in muggle enterprises. There aren't enough wizarding jobs to go around or the spouse of a wizard might be a muggle or squib. I've even been looking at jobs in muggle banks for myself because they pay better for the same hours."

"Wow, you're much different than I remember." I smiled at him then looked down at my lap.

"It helps when you aren't living in fear of being tortured for participating in muggle activities." I realized I was still sitting in his lap and he had an arm wrapped around me. "Here, let me pull out my computer and I can e-mail a few people to try and get you an interview." I looked up at him.

"You own a computer?" He smiled.

"It took me a year to earn enough for it. I'm very proud."

"Oh the things that I want to say." I laughed as I got out of his lap and went to the kitchen. He followed and pulled his laptop out of his bag.

"Did any of those jobs sound appealing?"

"I don't know. Are there any secretary positions for legal offices? Or maybe something in the judicial system."

"Possibly, Erickson should be in office today. I will get an e-mail back from him fairly quickly." He started typing on his computer for a few minutes. After he finished he pulled out a sheet of paper and his wand.

"How much do you know about Oxford?"

"I toured once, the library is incredible."

"You are going to need to study up on the professors there. Also, there's a school in America that has all of its lecture notes for free online. I will print out the lecture notes that are applicable to you and owl them to you. I also want you to go to a few lectures at Oxford so you have a feel for how they teach." Draco pulled a wallet out of his slacks and set a card down on the table. He tapped it with his wand then handed it to me. "That's my old card but it's charmed to show your face and name. You can get on campus and into some of the large lectures without being noticed. I will owl you a schedule of lecture times that you should sit in on."

"You went to Oxford?" My jaw nearly hit the floor. He smirked.

"Gringotts paid for me to earn my Bachelors in Economics. That was the term of my employment, no one else had been willing to go to the muggle university. I loved it there. That's another reason why I have considered switching to another bank. Honestly, it's easier to do this job when no one knows my history. You wouldn't believe the number of doors I have had slammed in my face." Draco then looked down at the paper and cast a spell on it. "This will serve as your primary school transcript. It will take me about a day to get you a university transcript if your job requires it."

"Why are you doing all of this, Malfoy?" He shrugged.

"My job is to help people out of a difficult situation." He focused on his computer and looked like he was searching for something else. "Okay, Erickson responded and said that he has a few openings, he is available for an interview next week on Thursday at 10 am. He will be able to place you with an appropriate lawyer. That should give you enough time to study up on the legal system."

"Are you sure?"

"Granger, you could have sat for your NEWTs in your fourth year. If you put your mind to it, you can do it." He closed his laptop. "I will be back next week to help you prepare for the interview. Unfortunately there are other cases I have to take care of today." Draco finished packing then squeezed my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. He walked into the hallway and I heard a familiar crack.

**AN: I have the next few chapters typed up, I just need to edit them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, Bloomsbury Publishing, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.

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><p>The day that the owl arrived with all the information was slow. I set up the booklet by my favorite chair and stared at it throughout the day. Draco had bound it to make it look like a published book. I couldn't bring myself to open it yet. The next morning I woke up and decided I needed to get some fresh air. I saw the list of classes sitting on the dining room table and just went. I put on a professional jumper and some slacks and apparated over. It felt weird being at Oxford. When I got back I made dinner and decided to read again, not the documents Draco had sent, just a new romance book I had picked at the store earlier that week. The next day was better. I sat in on the classes that Draco told me to go to and then went home and read through some of the documents that Draco had printed off. I did that every day for the rest of the week<p>

It felt weird, doing something for myself. I was so used to helping others that taking care of me was just… weird. I was also doing something so normal. I wasn't used to normal. I hadn't been doing normal since I was a child. I luckily only had one break down that whole week. It also helped that Ron hadn't shown up at the house since the incident.

Wednesday rolled around and I started making lunch early in the morning. I decided on some stew and grilled cheese, hoping Draco might enjoy that. I was oddly curious as to what kind of food he liked. I was just setting the table after putting the pot on low to keep it warm when I heard the familiar knock on the door. I took my apron off and smiled when I saw Draco.

"Hello, don't you look nice today," He said while coming in. It was nice that he noticed I had made an effort. I was wearing some light brown slacks, a peachy floral top, and a teal jumper with matching heels. I closed the door behind me. "Something smells good. Wait, did you make lunch?" I walked into the kitchen and started making the tea for the both of us.

"As a matter of fact, I did. This is my way of saying thank you for helping me get out of this house." I set a cup of tea in front of him and saw him smile. I put a cup in front of my spot across the table before serving two bowls of soup and putting some grilled cheese sandwiches on a platter. I brought it all over before I sat down.

"You don't have to thank me for anything. How about we have lunch and then we can talk about tomorrow?" I nodded and grabbed a sandwich before dipping it in my soup and taking a bite. He followed suit. "You know, I survived for like a month on grilled cheese sandwiches when I first moved into my flat. It was the only thing I could figure out how to cook and could afford. I slowly started learning how to do other things. My neighbor actually taught me how to make tomato soup and gave me a recipe book with nothing but soups and stews in it."

I laughed, "The stew I made is a family recipe. My mother would only make it with grilled cheese."

"Your mother is a bloody genius." He said between bites.

"Malfoy, if I may ask, when did you start wearing glasses?" He set down his spoon and thought for a moment.

"I suppose it was about a year after the war. I had started asking my lab partner at the University for his notes because I couldn't see the board well enough to make my own. He was the one who suggested getting my eyes checked. I hadn't even thought of it. No one in my family has ever worn glasses before." Draco got quiet and started eating his soup again.

"How do you like the flat you are living in?" I asked after a few minutes.

"It was a difficult change. My bedroom at the Manor was larger than my flat. However, once I got used to it and earned the money I was able to put some furniture in. One of my old friends also gave me some stuff without his parents knowing." He set his spoon down after finishing then got up and offered to take my bowl to the kitchen which I happily accepted. "Do you want me to put the leftover stew in a container?"

"Don't worry about it. I have it on low to keep it warm." I said. He came over and sat back down.

"Okay, how have the classes been going?"

"Very well, some are a little advanced for my knowledge but it isn't like I am going to be tested on it tomorrow." I laughed

"Well, you do have an interview tomorrow where he will ask you about your knowledge of the legal system. Plus the job itself is a test." Draco said while pulling out his laptop. "What are you planning on wearing tomorrow?"

"Oh, I had a nice yellow jumper to wear with a black skirt." Draco frowned.

"Take me to your closet." He stood up.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked, not standing up.

"Yellow says you aren't serious and the type of skirt might make you look frumpy or young. You need to look serious and professional." Draco crossed his arms. "We also should cover jewelry."

"What do you know about women's clothing?" I asked.

"Granger, all purebloods are brought up a certain way. I know clothing, particularly business fashion. I was just brought up with the knowledge. Now get up and take me to your closet." I stood up and led the way. I opened the door and let him browse through for a while. I just sat on the bed waiting. He pulled a few things out before looking through my drawers. "Do you own anything that isn't polyester?" It took him a little longer while he matched outfits; he even pulled underwear out for the outfits. He finally had one outfit laid out. "Here, try this on."

"Are you serious? I haven't worn those since I went to Hogwarts! And those panties were a gag gift for my birthday." I stood up with my hands on my hips.

"Well, obviously you wouldn't have kept them if you didn't think you would wear them. The underwear will give you confidence and also won't show lines through the pencil skirt, which hopefully fits. Now try it on, I will wait in the hallway." He walked out and closed the door. I muttered something about stupid pureblood fashion sense before stripping and holding out the black lacy thong that was staring menacingly at me. I slowly slid it on and felt uncomfortable, especially with the fact that Draco knew I was wearing these. I put the tan bra on and then started buttoning the navy long sleeve blouse that had ruffles up the front before putting the steel grey pencil skirt on. I opened the door and Draco looked me over, he scrunched his face up, looking thoughtful.

"The skirt fits well but needs to be about an inch higher." He reached out and started moving fabric around in various areas. He even buttoned another button on my shirt. "There, that looks better. Now, shoes, what do you have for black heels?" He looked in the bottom of my closet and picked a few things out. "Dear lord Granger, how do you only own five pairs of shoes?"

"Sorry?" I looked down at him. He sighed and pulled out my plain black flats.

"These are going to have to do, you could have done with some extra height but you can get away with putting your hair up in a bun to do that." He stood up and walked over to my jewelry box and handed me a pair of diamond studs, well, fake diamond studs. I think the metal was even gold plated. I put them in and he gave me another once over. "I've had people go into interviews wearing worse."

"Why does this matter? It isn't a fashion show."

"You are going in to get a job as a secretary. Others who come in want a piece of ass to look at, you do have to convince them that you can be that on top of any regular duties." I glared at him. "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. I'd have put you in your Hogwarts Uniform from fourth year if it didn't contradict with the other half of the interview."

"Why fourth year?" I asked while taking the earrings out and putting my shoes away.

"Because it might possibly fit in length while being tight in other areas. I think an emerald tie would be a good addition to the look though." He smirked at me. "I'll be in the living room while you change. Oh, before I go, make sure you wear pantyhose, not stockings, pantyhose." He walked out of the room before I started changing back into my other outfit. When I went back out to the living room he had put his laptop away and was sitting looking over a sheet of paper.

"Would you like some more tea?" I walked over to the counter and refilled the kettle.

"As much as I want to, I really have to go. Believe me, Granger, if I could stay, I would." He slung his bag over his shoulder. He looked rather sharp in his baby blue button up and grey slacks. I don't know why I felt disappointed that he wasn't staying longer.

"Oh, okay. I guess I will just see you next week." I turned back to the kettle. I heard him walking across the tile and then I felt his hands rub up and down my arms.

"I really would rather stay here," he leaned over and kissed my cheek and then backed up. I heard the familiar crack and released my breathe. The kettle whistle made me jump and I quickly moved it to another burner before turning the stove off.

Draco Malfoy had just kissed me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, Bloomsbury Publishing, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.

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><p>"Hello there, you must be Ms. Granger." A sharp dressed man approached me and held out his hand in greeting. I had barely been in the waiting room five minutes before he approached. He was the classic definition of tall, dark, and handsome. It didn't surprise me that Draco knew him.<p>

"Yes, Mr. Erickson I presume? It is a pleasure to meet you." I shook his hand while he smiled with sparkly white teeth.

"Please, call me Steve and really the pleasure is all mine. If you would follow me we can start this process." He held the door open that he had just came through and led me the short way to what I assumed was his office. He sat and gestured for me to sit in a chair across from his desk. There was a wall of legal books behind him and his desk was very clean. "Let me just start by saying this interview is a formality. The letters of recommendation that were sent more than validate why you should be here. Minerva McGonagall, Kingley Shackelbolt, and Arthur Weasley all wrote extensive letters. I can't show these letters to my human resources but they sure convince me. I told my wife who wrote letters and she guessed you were the one being written about."

My eyes were wide. I didn't understand what was going on. Did this man know who all those people really were? And how did Draco get Mr. Weasley to write a letter of recommendation? "Am I in the right office?"

"Yes you are. If Draco had just told me who you were right off I would have hired you over the phone. I never thought I would get to meet you in person." He was still smiling widely.

"I'm sorry, but what is going on? Draco told me I was coming in for a mugg.."

"This is a muggle office. I know about the world through my wife who is a witch. Draco and I had a few classes together at Oxford. He actually introduced me to my wife, believe it or not." He turned a picture to face me and my jaw dropped.

"Is that?"

"Yep, Pansy is currently pregnant with our first child. Now, back to you. What kind of position do you want? I can't give you a spot as an attorney because you lack the schooling but I can give you a position as an assistant or a secretary. There are a few large firms that I work with." He reached into his desk and pulled a file out.

"I would like a position as a secretary for a firm that deals with human or animal rights if possible."

"Unfortunately I don't have anything available there. I was told some of your background and I did ask around to see if anyone was looking for a replacement in those areas."

"Well, what do you recommend then?" I sat up with a smile on my face.

"I have a position in a medium sized firm that deals with family law and domestic violence cases. That is the closest I have to human rights. The environment can be stressful though and they do go through secretaries fast. Would you be interested?"

"That sounds wonderful!" I smiled larger and he passed a file over to me.

"Good, I will need you to fill that paperwork out. I'm sure Draco will help you with a few things, just bring it back within the next few weeks. Let me introduce you to your boss." He smiled and opened the door. I followed him down a few flights of stairs as he gave me information on the firm. He opened a door to a firm with a desk out front and four doors leading off the room besides the main door. There were some chairs and a small area with toys that made up the waiting room, however it seemed to lack something. The walls were plain and the desk was a plain metal one with an old computer. Steve approached one of the doors that was slightly open and knocked. "Lucy, I have someone I'd like you to meet."

A middle aged woman with her hair in a loose bun came out. She was starting to grey but her clothing was impeccable. "How are you today, Steve?"

"I'm doing well. I would like to introduce you to Ms. Hermione Granger. I've hired her as your new secretary." Lucy's face lit up. She came over and gave me a hug.

"You have no idea how badly we need you right now." She stepped back and straightened her outfit. "I apologize, it is a pleasure. I am Lucy Hargrave. I work with Gabe Henderson and Marlene Benedict. You will be the secretary for the office and greet clients as well as schedule appointments." She turned to Steve, "Do you need her anymore?"

"Nope, she is all yours." He turned to me. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Granger. I have no doubt you will do wonderful here. Have a good day ladies." Steve walked out of the room.

"Alright Ms. Granger, if you want to come into my office we can go over your duties." Lucy gestured to her office. We spent the next few hours going over what I would be doing and what hours I would have. She said I could start tomorrow if I wanted. I would slowly earn more responsibility as time went on. She was currently in charge of time sheets but the duty would fall to me as I got comfortable. She taught me how to answer the phone and how to greet potential clients and asses their needs. I was also shown what firms they associated with if a client didn't fall under their needs. I walked out of the large office feeling incredible. I felt needed and like my personality traits were appreciated.

I was walking back through the muggle village to an apparition point when I stopped in front of a store and got an idea. I looked in the window and walked in and bought a gift for Draco. It wasn't much but he had gone above and beyond to help me. I wanted to show him that I was grateful in a way I knew he would appreciate.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, Bloomsbury Publishing, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.

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><p>I had started going to work officially on Monday and loved every minute of it. I had owled Draco that are meeting would need to be later on Wednesday, after five if possible and he told me five would work well, his last client was normally at four and he didn't have to go back to Gringotts after visiting clients. I rushed home after work on Wednesday and got ready. I had a casserole ready to go in the oven if Draco wanted to stay for dinner and I had some strawberries sliced with some shortcake and whip cream for dessert.<p>

Draco knocked five minutes to and when I opened the door his eyes got big. He quickly closed the door behind him and dropped his bag before he pushed me against the nearest wall and started devouring me. I was guessing that the silk green nightie I had bought was a good present. I knew the rest of my present was perfect when I felt his erection press up against me. His kisses were desperate and deep. He was trying to lift me up onto the wall when I asked him to take me on the bed. He happily followed me to the room. I stripped him of his clothes and he nearly ripped my new outfit off. I was glad he was happy with his gift.

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><p>"That wasn't professional." Draco was sitting up against the headboard of my bed I was wrapped up in a sheet lying next to him.<p>

"You crossed the professional line when you yelled at me on your first visit." I nuzzled my head against his leg while he ran his hand up and down my arm. That's when I finally noticed it, the spot where his dark mark should have been. It wasn't the same image and I couldn't believe what the new image was.

"Draco, what is on your arm?" He followed my gaze and froze.

"Shit, I wasn't even thinking when I took my shirt off." Draco swallowed. I could tell he was nervous. It took him a few minutes before he started speaking. "I was in a bad place mentally after the war. I woke up in an unfurnished flat and just decided that I couldn't go another day being branded. I went to a half dozen wizard tattoo shops and was thrown out of each, sometimes physically. So I found a muggle shop where they did cover-ups. The guy asked me what I wanted over it. I hadn't even thought that far ahead but that question turned my life around. There were things that I had always wanted to stand for that I didn't have the courage to. I realized then that I had the chance to remake myself and build my own reputation. I wanted to be reminded of who made that possible. And I wanted to be able to ask for forgiveness even if I never got to see you again. I always admired you in school and wished that my family had been different. I think that the otter turned out really well." He was looking at his otter tattoo while I traced it with my fingers. This tattoo meant so much to him. He had used me as a reminder of what he wanted to be.

"Why not something involved with rebuilding or something? I didn't win the war by myself." I said quietly.

"I don't know why but it had to be you. You were the only thing I could think of that day."

"How did you know about my patronous?"

"I paid attention." He smiled down at me before he started stroking my arm again.

"I'm going to move out of the house and break off the engagement with Ron." Draco pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead.

"That sounds like an excellent plan. Though now I have to discuss the issue of the house with Weasley and he doesn't look quite as good in that lingerie, I'd wager." I giggled. Draco sighed. "I'll stop by the ministry tomorrow to confront Weasley about the house. He needs to be made the primary. You are lucky your name isn't on the lease."

"My name is on the lease though."

"Weasley apparently came in last week and took you off the lease."

"He did what?!" I sat up in bed, holding the sheet around my body. I got out of bed and took my trunk out from under the bed and started throwing clothing into it. "That is it! I can't be in this house one more minute. I will leave him a note on the table; that is more than he deserves at this point."

"Hermione, where are you going to stay?" Draco has gotten out of bed and was putting his pants back on. I stopped moving.

"Shit, Harry and Ginny don't have room because of the kids, I pissed Luna off, and I can't stay at the Weasley's." I sat back down on the bed. I could feel the tears starting. When I was finally ready to leave, I couldn't actually leave. Draco sat next to me and put an arm around me.

"I know it might be fast but if you need it you can stay with me for now." I leaned my head onto his shoulder.

"Thank you," I sat thinking about my life and how everything was a jumbled mess and completely different then what I had always thought would happen. I was still having difficulties accepting who Ron had become. "You came by to tell me about the change, didn't you? And I jumped you so that you didn't have a chance."

"Yeah," He said quietly.

"Ron hasn't been home once in the last two weeks."

"You deserve better." He kissed my forehead. "I'm not saying that you deserve me, you just need to get out of this house and out of this relationship."

"It hasn't been a relationship in years. I only see him when he deems me valuable." Draco was frowning. I stood up and started packing some more things while Draco sat on the bed watching me. I had to do an expanding charm but I honestly didn't have much in this house besides my books that mattered to me. Once I finished with the bedroom I went to the living room and kitchen and packed the rest of my possessions. Draco followed me after using the wash room. He sat on the couch and put his shoes on.

"Hermione, not that I mind seeing you naked, but you might want to put clothing on." Draco said while watching me. I looked down at my body. I was so absorbed in packing that I hadn't put clothing on. I opened my trunk and pulled out some underwear, jeans, and a sweatshirt. Draco laughed quietly.

"What?"

"We aren't in a rush. you can put a bra on." He said with a smirk.

"Don't need one." He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything while I finished. I closed my trunk and he stood up.

"Ready?" I nodded. He slung his bag over his shoulder and held out his arm for me to take. I picked up my trunk and held onto him. I was trusting Draco Malfoy with my life. I felt a pull in the center of my body and I took one last look at the house that I had been wasting away in.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Some of you may be wondering why Hermione decided to sleep with Draco so quickly, it seems out of character for her. I am basing this on my own experience with depression. Sex is the one thing where you really feel something which means a lot to someone who has felt nothing for years.

Also, I realized I really don't have an end idea for this story. I have two or three more chapters in mind but I really don't have a good conclusion. I mean, Draco and Hermione are sort of together and Hermione is slowly recovering from her depression. The house issue will be wrapped up soon, too. If anyone has any ideas, please review and I will definitely take them into consideration.

Thanks for reading!


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